Saturday 1 October 2016

Last Flutters Before Winter

While the Sun was beaming down on the Ivy there was a sudden rush of insect visitors. Bees, wasps, a whole variety of flies and several pristine looking Red Admirals:

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Also spotted was the occasional Comma:

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Apart from Cabbage Whites which have been seen in abundance for months I have rarely seen a butterfly all Summer. The same went for Bumble Bees. I have seen far fewer this year. I did read a short while ago of one possible reason. Apparently there are fewer bees, wasps and some other insects this year as last Winter was too mild for them. Yes, too mild. They need cold enough temperatures during the Winter months to force them into hibernation otherwise they use too much energy whilst awake with few or no food plants to provide nourishment.

5 comments:

  1. The scalloped edges of the comma are lovely.

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  2. Even with the sun in, the one in my garden was just humming...no butterflies alas

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Simon: Only a couple of days with butterflies unfortunately. Plenty of bees and wasps.

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  3. Wow, the second butterfly is absolutely gorgeous John! Interesting information about the winter being too mild - never again will I complain about a harsh winter!

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Thank you for visiting. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Any comment, or correction to any information or identification I get wrong, is most welcome. John

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